Looking through the Lens: Adapting and Modifying Photovoice Projects for Active Learning and Engagement in Biology.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Moitra K
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5134955 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundConventional quantitative or qualitative methodologies may not encompass the wide array of experiences of individuals living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). We used a novel approach - photovoice-to understand the impact of COPD on activities of daily living (ADLs) in a multicultural Asian country.MethodsWe recruited a purposive sample of eight patients from the outpatient clinics of the National University Health System, Singapore, between December 2020 and August 2021. We adopted a photovoice approach for data collection; participants were invited to take photos of how ADLs were impacted by COPD and attend a follow-up interview. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis method was used to analyze the data. Data saturation was reached by the seventh patient.ResultsCOPD and the resulting breathlessness had a profound and diverse impact on our participants' lives. Living with COPD required substantial changes to how everyday tasks are performed, and participants learnt new strategies to deal with such tasks. A mixture of active and passive coping styles was evident. Feelings of frustration, anxiety and a sense of isolation were also reported. Contextual factors impacting ADLs included challenging climatic conditions and the local popularity of traditional or alternative medicine.ConclusionThe photovoice technique improved our understanding of the lived experiences of COPD patients and can benefit those who struggle to articulate their views by offering a different way to communicate beyond conventional interviewing.
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Project description:In this qualitative study, we examined the process of active learning from the perspective of undergraduate students in a high-enrollment introductory biology class. Eight students participated in a series of five interviews throughout the semester that examined their experiences during and after class. Grades were collected for each student at regular time points throughout the semester. Here, we present in-depth case studies of four students who described profoundly different responses to the same in-class learning tasks. We particularly highlight variation in students' self-reported engagement, as engagement is thought to be a key element of successful active learning. Finally, we map each student's self-reported engagement and the grades that he or she received. In each case, we found that grades failed to capture some aspects of the active-learning experience that students found important.
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Project description:Team-based active learning has been associated with enhanced communication and critical thinking skills, and improved clinical competency in other allied-health disciplines, but little is known about this pedagogical technique in nutrition. This study compared content retention and perceptions of a team-based, active learning course redesign intervention in an undergraduate nutrition class pre- (n = 32) and post- (n = 43) intervention. Assessment scores improved overall (69% to 75%; P < 0.01) and within 3 content domains: dietary guidelines (75% to 84%; P = 0.03), the exchange system (38% to 49%; P < 0.01), and dietary assessment (59% to 73%; P < 0.01). Thus, incorporation of team-based active learning was effective in improving content knowledge in undergraduate nutrition students as assessed by performance on exam questions overall and in some but not all content domains. Nonsignificant changes in student evaluations suggest that this is an acceptable, noninferior strategy to facilitate learning in undergraduate courses.
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Project description:Active learning is frequently used to describe teaching practices, but the term is not well-defined in the context of undergraduate biology education. To clarify this term, we explored how active learning is defined in the biology education literature (n = 148 articles) and community by surveying a national sample of biology education researchers and instructors (n = 105 individuals). Our objectives were to increase transparency and reproducibility of teaching practices and research findings in biology education. Findings showed the majority of the literature concerning active learning never defined the term, but the authors often provided examples of specific active-learning strategies. We categorized the available active-learning definitions and strategies obtained from the articles and survey responses to highlight central themes. Based on data from the BER literature and community, we provide a working definition of active learning and an Active-Learning Strategy Guide that defines 300+ active-learning strategies. These tools can help the community define, elaborate, and provide specificity when using the term active learning to characterize teaching practices.
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Project description:Demand for undergraduate research experiences typically outstrips the available laboratory positions, which could have been exacerbated during the remote work conditions imposed by the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic. This report presents a collection of examples of how undergraduates have been engaged in research under pandemic work restrictions. Examples include a range of projects related to fluid dynamics, cancer biology, nanomedicine, circadian clocks, metabolic disease, catalysis, and environmental remediation. Adaptations were made that included partnerships between remote and in-person research students and students taking on more data analysis and literature surveys, as well as data mining, computational, and informatics projects. In many cases, these projects engaged students who otherwise would have worked in traditional bench research, as some previously had. Several examples of beneficial experiences are reported, such as the additional time spent studying the literature, which gave students a heightened sense of project ownership, and more opportunities to integrate feedback into writing and research. Additionally, the more intentional and regular communication necessitated by remote work proved beneficial for all team members. Finally, online seminars and conferences have made participation possible for many more students, especially those at predominantly undergraduate institutions. Participants aim to adopt these beneficial practices in our research groups even after pandemic restrictions end.
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Project description:BackgroundActive learning relies on students' engagement with teachers, study materials and/or each other. Although medical education has adopted active learning as a core component of medical training, teachers have difficulties recognising when and why their students engage or disengage and how to teach in ways that optimise engagement. With a better understanding of the dynamics of student engagement in small-group active learning settings, teachers could be facilitated in effectively engaging their students.MethodsWe conducted a video-stimulated recall study to explore medical students' engagement during small-group learning activities. We recorded one teaching session of two different groups and selected critical moments of apparent (dis)engagement. These moments served as prompts for the 15 individual semi-structured interviews we held. Interview data were analysed using Template Analysis style of thematic analysis. To guide the analysis, we used a framework that describes student engagement as a dynamic and multidimensional concept, consisting of behavioural, cognitive and emotional components.ResultsThe analysis uncovered three main findings: (1) In-class student engagement followed a spiral-like pattern. Once students were engaged or disengaged on one dimension, other dimensions were likely to follow suit. (2) Students' willingness to engage in class was decided before class, depending on their perception of a number of personal, social and educational antecedents of engagement. (3) Distinguishing engagement from disengagement appeared to be difficult for teachers, because the intention behind student behaviour was not always identifiable.DiscussionThis study adds to the literature by illuminating the dynamic process of student engagement and explaining the difficulty of recognising and influencing this process in practice. Based on the importance of discerning the intentions behind student behaviour, we advise teachers to use their observations of student (dis)engagement to initiate interaction with students with open and inviting prompts. This can help teachers to (re-)engage students in their classrooms.
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Project description:BackgroundLibrarians and researchers alike have long identified research data management (RDM) training as a need in biomedical research. Despite the wealth of libraries offering RDM education to their communities, clinical research is an area that has not been targeted. Clinical RDM (CRDM) is seen by its community as an essential part of the research process where established guidelines exist, yet educational initiatives in this area are unknown.Case presentationLeveraging my academic library's experience supporting CRDM through informationist grants and REDCap training in our medical center, I developed a 1.5 hour CRDM workshop. This workshop was designed to use established CRDM guidelines in clinical research and address common questions asked by our community through the library's existing data support program. The workshop was offered to the entire medical center 4 times between November 2017 and July 2018. This case study describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of this workshop.ConclusionsThe 4 workshops were well attended and well received by the medical center community, with 99% stating that they would recommend the class to others and 98% stating that they would use what they learned in their work. Attendees also articulated how they would implement the main competencies they learned from the workshop into their work. For the library, the effort to support CRDM has led to the coordination of a larger institutional collaborative training series to educate researchers on best practices with data, as well as the formation of institution-wide policy groups to address researcher challenges with CRDM, data transfer, and data sharing.
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Project description:BackgroundAn increasing number of people with stroke live in their communities, yet the understanding of how their reintegration into society can best be facilitated is incomplete. If needs are not sufficiently met and difficulties overcome, it may result in limited participation and decreased life satisfaction for this group. We aimed to understand life after stroke through the lens of participants' cameras, and hence their views and experiences guided this study.MethodsBy the means of photovoice, an action research method, this study was conducted in a collaborative format with six women and five men after stroke. Participants photographed in everyday life for up to four weeks and then met to discuss all images in a focus group setting. Subsequently, participants gave feedback on the method and discussed the upcoming photography exhibition. All photos and the three focus group discussions were analyzed using a thematic analysis with an inductive approach.ResultsIn the focus group discussions, life after stroke were conceptualized through five main themes: a driving force to participate in society; managing everyday life through inventiveness and persistent training; insufficient healthcare and rehabilitation in the long-term perspective; finding meaningful relationships and activities in daily life. Participants' voices are made clear through selected photos, which aim to present each theme and make results easier to understand.ConclusionsParticipants found new ways to approach everyday life situations and had thereby regained a sense of control in life. However, it was evident that psychological processes towards adaptation were hindered by depression and that some individuals felt alone in an ongoing struggle. Additionally, available interventions a long time after stroke were not flexible enough to address all participants' needs.
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Project description:Previous research has suggested that adding active learning to traditional college science lectures substantially improves student learning. However, this research predominantly studied courses taught by science education researchers, who are likely to have exceptional teaching expertise. The present study investigated introductory biology courses randomly selected from a list of prominent colleges and universities to include instructors representing a broader population. We examined the relationship between active learning and student learning in the subject area of natural selection. We found no association between student learning gains and the use of active-learning instruction. Although active learning has the potential to substantially improve student learning, this research suggests that active learning, as used by typical college biology instructors, is not associated with greater learning gains. We contend that most instructors lack the rich and nuanced understanding of teaching and learning that science education researchers have developed. Therefore, active learning as designed and implemented by typical college biology instructors may superficially resemble active learning used by education researchers, but lacks the constructivist elements necessary for improving learning.
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